Many things to consider before putting in a pond

Published: April 24, 2010 4:00 AM

Ponds can bring great joy if they are planned correctly or trouble if not planned correctly.

The site you pick for your proposed pond is important along with the soils that are at the site.

If the soils are not conducive to holding water, then building a pond is not a good idea.

Another important thing is how the pond will fill with water.

If you're lucky enough to have a spring, that is great, but usually the soils in a spring area are weak and may need help to hold the water in.

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If your pond depends on runoff from the surrounding area, then a good ratio is 10 to 20 acres runoff per surface acre of pond with the minimum ratio being 5 acres runoff per surface acre.

What that means is for every surface acre of your pond, you should have at least 5 acres of watershed running into that pond.

If every thing works out for the construction of the pond, the next thing to do is talk to your neighbors if you have any and tell them of your intentions. See what they think of having a pond close to them. This will give you an idea on how the proposed pond will be received before construction starts.

The pond principle overflow pipe and the emergency spillway need to outlet back into the natural drainage course. It is not a good idea to outlet the overflows at somebody's property line if it is not the natural watercourse.

If the pond has a small watershed, it would be a good idea to install an aerator to help protect against summer and winter fish kill. The aerator that works best is known as a diffuser or bubbler system that can operate off a windmill or electricity. It also seems to help in reducing aquatic vegetation in the pond by keeping the oxygen levels higher during the warm water season. This in turn helps the fish in the pond when the oxygen levels are at there lowest.

If you have questions on pond construction or caring for your existing pond call our office at 419-281-7645, or e-mail at www.ashlandswcd.com and we will try to answer your question or direct you to someone who can.

n Bob Kerr is a technician with the Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District.